How do You Get to Trailheads/Camp?

I am fairly car light. I have ~20,000 miles on my 3.5 year old car. I'd say 3/4 of that is summer road trips or getting to the trailhead for MTBing and hiking. So, anybody who is carfree that also mountain bikes, hikes, and camps? How do you get to the trailheads?

Bicycle. I usually head out for Sunday rides but always get to any trails involved by riding. I find the mix of trail and street makes the ride more interesting. Also there's less futzing with getting bikes on racks, then driving, then realizing I forgot a helmet or a water bottle. Plus, most racks are somewhat destructive for both bike and car.

Of course, with this method, I can't ride on every trail within 50 miles, but I can get enough variety. Travelling 30 minutes each way in a car really eats into the time you spend on the bike... so I like to travel from my house.,,, by bike.

As for camping, my observation is that there are a lot of campsites that are very doable by leaving on bike from my house... you just need to do some homework to find them. Of course, the best camping sites are the ones that nobody has found yet.

When I first went carfree I was into backpacking, but wasn't really into renting a car to let it sit at a trailhead while I'm out. The natural progression for me was to get into bike touring. If you already are into camping then you likely have a lot of the gear you need, minus the rack and panniers. Since you are into mountain biking then some off road tours would be fun for you.

Well, that's one and the main reason I still own a car: to get away from the city. And that's also the reason I own a particular model of a minivan. It can fit three people with three bikes and decent amount of luggage inside (or two people, two bikes and insane amount of luggage) without messing with racks. The best (and least crowded) trails (MTB or hiking) beaches and campgrounds are 2h or more drive from the city. I could get there by trains but it would take me at least twice as long and I would have to ride to the station in Manhattan first. Not something I'd like to do too often.

I really wish this country had a more developed rail system. Trains here are a joke.

I'm hoping to move out to Northern suburbs or to New Jersey to be closer to the outdoors. My commute time will increase though, but it's a tradeoff.

I live in North Orange County and most of the trails are in the South or inland. Plus, I just have to get out of the city. I remember my first year owning the Element I put about 1,000 miles on it in the first 7-8 months, but then in the summer went on a month long camping/hiking/biking road trip and jumped to 5,000 miles.

If I rode to the MTB trailheads I frequent with friends it would take a couple hours to get their by bike (vs 30 minutes in the car) and I wouldn't have the energy to do the ride, let alone get back.

As always, would love to see more bike pathways. At least Irvine (as much as I loathe it), has put in a pretty good system. It would be cool to have bike "highways".

Can you camp in the area around the trailhead? I know you don't really want to go on an overnight trip every time you want to mountain bike, but it is a fun option. It's the kind of sacrifice you have to make to be car free I guess. I've been tempted to get a beater car to keep for backpacking, climbing, and such, but at this time it is hard to justify the cost.

I cycle, take the train or, occasionally, the bus. Being a touring enthusiast, I take all of my gear along with me in my panniers. I love trains, so the Spanish Vías Verdes, old railways that have been turned into paths for cycling and hiking, are a natural for me. Just got back from a two-day ride along this one. Marvellous.

If I rode to the MTB trailheads I frequent with friends it would take a couple hours to get their by bike (vs 30 minutes in the car) and I wouldn't have the energy to do the ride, let alone get back.

You've hit the keywords right here - with friends. No need for everyone to drive there in their own car. If you are on their way, they can pick you up, or if not you can ride to your friends place to get the lift. Obviously share expenses and driving too (if they want).